Are you frustrated by painful hip arthritis?  Due to poor quality of life, each year hundreds of thousands of people undergo hip replacement surgery.  But surgery is not for everyone.  Manual therapy is a proven alternative to decrease pain in people with hip arthritis.

Manual therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy.  Treatment is delivered by your therapist’s hands.  When done by a skilled therapist, it reduces pain, improves joint mobility, and restores normal walking patterns.

Manual Therapy: Proven to Alleviate Pain from Hip Arthritis

A recent study from New Zealand looked at over 200 people with painful hip arthritis.  Participants were divided into 1 of 4 groups: exercise therapy, manual therapy, manual therapy plus exercise, or no therapy. Each participant attended 10 to 12 50-minute sessions with their physical therapist.

After 1 year, the manual therapy group reported a 28.5-point improvement in pain and function.  This improvement was 40% greater than any of the other groups.  This large improvement lasting up to 1 year suggests excellent benefit from a short course of manual therapy.

5 Manual Therapy Techniques That Decrease Pain from Hip Arthritis

Physical therapists use clinical reasoning and their hands to apply pressure on muscles and manipulate joints.  This restores movement and decreases pain caused by muscle spasms, muscle tension, and arthritic joints.

Therapeutic touch is applied in a skilled fashion.  This calms or facilitates your body’s nervous system.  Often, you experience an immediate decrease in pain, improved muscle function, and improved mobility.

Mobilization and manipulation consist of movements of joints and muscles. All of these treatments are pain-free.  Below are 5 examples of hip joint mobilizations that help restore joint mobility and decrease pain.

Manual therapy treatment usually lasts 15 to 20 minutes.  Your therapist then prescribes 3 to 4 specific exercises targeting your unique problem.  You must perform these exercises at home.

See Your Physical Therapist for an Initial Evaluation

Before applying any manual therapy treatment, your physical therapist must thoroughly examine you.  All people with hip arthritis do not receive the same treatment.  Therefore, a personalized program is always best.

If you are having hip pain, the sooner you see your physical therapist the better your outcome will be.  The longer you wait the stiffer, slower, and weaker you become.  Also, your brain is good at compensating for how you move to avoid pain.  You don’t want to develop bad habits that are hard to break.

Call your physical therapist and schedule an initial evaluation.